Christianity  and  Industry:  Seven 


INCENTIVES  iR 
IN  MODERN  LIFE 


ARE  THE  MOTIVES  OF  JESUS  PRACTICABLE 
MODERN  BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSIONAL  LIFE  ? 


BY 

KIRBY  PAGE 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  UNITED  STATES  STEEL  CORPORATION, 
"INDUSTRIAL  FACTS,"  "COLLECTIVE  BARGAINING,"  ETC. 


The   William  Penn   Lecture  of   1922 


NEW  YORK 

GEORGE   H.  DORAN   COMPANY 


ni  Cents  Net. 


COPYRIGHT,  1922, 
GEORGE  n.  DORAX  COMPANY 


POINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

I:     INTRODUCTION 5 

II:     TO  WHAT   EXTENT   ARE  THE  INCENTIVES 
OF  MODERN  LIFE  UNCHRISTIAN?. 7 

(1)  THE  DESIRE  FOR  A  HIGHER  STANDARD  OF 
LIFE 

ENLIGHTENED  SELF-INTEREST 
SOCIAL  EFFECTS  OF  LUXURY 

(2)  THE    DESIRE    FOR   SUCCESS   OR   PERSONAL 
POWER 

(3)  THE  DESIRE  TO  SERVE 

(4)  SUMMARY 

III:  ARE  THE  MOTIVES  OF  JESUS  PRACTICABLE 
IN  MODERN  BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSIONAL 
LIFE? 15 

(1)  THE  MOTIVES  OF  JESUS 

(2)  HUMAN  INSTINCTS 

(3)  JESUS'  WAY  OF  LIFE  AND  HUMAN  NATURE 

(4)  CHANGES  IN  THE  PUBLIC  ATTITUDE  NEEDED 

(5)  THE  OUTCOME  OF  CONTINUED  STRIFE 

(6)  THE  POWER  OF  PUBLIC  OPINION 

(7)  THE  RESOURCES  OF  RELIGIOUS  PEOPLE 

(8)  SUMMARY 

IV:    APPENDIX:    THE  ACQUISITIVE  SOCIETY.. 27 

520218 


THE    WILLIAM    PENN    LECTURE    FOR 

WAS    DELIVERED    AT 
THE    RACE    STREET    MEETING    HOUSE 

FOR    THE 

YOUNG    FRIENDS    MOVEMENT 
PHILADELPHIA 
MAY    14TH 


IV 


I:    INTRODUCTION 

A  recent  scientific  bulletin  estimates  that  three  billion 
slaves  would  be  required  in  the  United  States  to  do  the 
work  now  being  done  by  machines.  It  is  further  estimated 
that  the  mechanical  power  available  is  equivalent  to 
fifty  servants  for  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  this 
country.  A  huge  turbine  now  produces  energy  equal 
to  the  labor  of  400,000  strong  men. 

And  yet  this  generation,  which  has  fallen  heir  to 
incalculable  energy  and  countless  labor  saving  devices, 
is  witnessing  the  spectacle  of  multitudes  of  people  who 
are  hungry  and  ill  clad.  Not  only  in  the  backward 
nations  of  the  earth  is  this  true,  but  across  Europe  there 
is  appalling  destitution.  Even  in  our  own  land,  the  most 
favored  of  all  the  earth,  large  numbers  of  people  are 
lacking  in  the  necessities  and  minimum  comforts  of  life. 
At  a  conservative  estimate  there  are  several  million 
persons  in  the  United  States  who  are  living  in  poverty 
or  on  the  border  of  destitution. 

An  official  commission  of  our  Federal  Government 
reported  that  "at  least  one-third  and  possibly  one-half 
of  the  families  of  wage  earners  employed  in  manufacturing 
and  mining  earn  in  the  course  of  the  year  less  than 
enough  to  support  them  in  anything  like  a  comfortable 
and  decent  condition." 

Another  startling  contrast  is  that  between  the  claims 
and  achievements  of  the  churches.  They  claim  to  have 
a  solution  for  all  problems  of  human  relations.  For 
nineteen  centuries  they  have  been  proclaiming  a  message 
of  love,  peace  and  brotherhood  among  men.  And  yet 
we  are  living  in  a  world  of  strife.  Everywhere  men  are 

5 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 


divided"1  into- warring "»eamps.  Nation  is  arrayed  against 
natia«,:  ratio  Against  rac'e/.  class  against  class.  Bitterness 
aiid"*iaife'df  ai'e  widespread. 

How  shall  we  account  for  the  present  state  of  affairs? 
Why  are  people  hungry  when  the  resources  are  at  hand 
to  supply  their  needs?  Why  are  the  churches  so  ineffective 
in  overcoming  strife  and  enmity? 


II:  TO  WHAT  EXTENT  ARE  THE 
INCENTIVES  OF  MODERN  LIFE 
UNCHRISTIAN? 


In  a  single  address  one  cannot  hope  to  deal  with  all 
of  the  complex  issues  involved.  Only  one  phase  of  the 
situation  can  be  considered.  Much  of  the  present  turmoil 
and  suffering  is  undoubtedly  rooted  in  the  incentives 
of  modern  life.  We  should,  therefore,  seek  to  analyze 
the  dominant  motives  of  men  today.  What  are  the 
chief  influences  which  move  men  to  action? 


(1)     THE   DESIRE   FOR   A   HIGHER 
STANDARD   OF   LIFE 

This  is  a  stimulus  which  is  prevalent  among  all  civilized 
people.  The  desire  for  wholesome  food,  serviceable 
clothing  and  pleasant  surroundings  is  almost  universal. 
One  of  the  reasons  why  men  exert  themselves  is  that 
they  may  secure  these  things. 

With  a  large  proportion  of  the  population  in  the  United 
States  the  struggle  is  for  the  bare  necessities  and  minimum 
comforts  of  life.  Fear  of  hunger  and  destitution  is  ever 
present  with  large  groups  of  people.  With  many  other 
persons  the  struggle  is  for  the  comforts  and  minimum 
luxuries  of  life.  And  still  others  are  striving  for  luxuries 
in  abundance.  This  desire  to  raise  one's  standard  of 
life  is  one  of  the  impelling  motives  in  modern  life.  Higher 
wages  and  larger  profits  are  desired  primarily  as  a  means 
to  this  end.  Modern  industry  rests  upon  the  profit 
system.  The  appeal  to  self-interest  is  dominant.  Finan- 
cial reward  is  depended  upon  to  secure  maximum  activity. 
Each  person  is  supposed  to  make  as  large  profits  as  he 
can,  so  long  as  he  follows  the  accepted  rules. 


8  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

ENLIGHTENED   SELF-INTEREST 

For  more  than  a  century  " enlightened  self-interest," 
as  a  consciously  accepted  doctrine,  has  prevailed.  It 
has  been  taken  for  granted  by  most  Anglo-Saxon  people 
that  the  welfare  of  all,  can  best  be  served  by  each  person 
seeking  his  own  good.  Edmund  Burke  once  said  that 
we  should  be  filled  "with  thankfulness  to  the  benign 
and  wise  Disposer  of  all  things,  who  obliges  men,  whether 
they  will  or  not,  in  pursuing  their  own  selfish  interests, 
to  connect  the  general  good  with  their  own  individual 
successes."  Archbishop  Whately  expresses  a  similar 
opinion:  "It  is  curious  to  observe  how  through  the  wise 
and  beneficient  arrangement  of  Providence,  men  thus  do 
the  greatest  service  to  the  public  when  they  are  thinking 
of  nothing  but  their  own  gain." 

The  opinion  is  still  widely  prevalent  that  modern 
industry  cannot  exist  on  any  other  basis  than  individual 
selfishness.  A  prominent  banker  recently  said:  "I 
know  of  no  way  of  making  any  human  being  give  $50,000 
worth  of  service  for  $1,500  in  pay.  Nobody  would  care 
much  about  working  hard  enough  to  earn  more  than 
$10,000  a  year  just  to  see  someone  else  get  it." 

In  our  protest  against  "profiteering"  we  have 
usually  failed  to  realize  how  deeply  engrained  the  profit 
motive  is  in  modern  life.  Many  persons  are  enraged  at 
the  few  skilled  workers  who  have  successfully  demanded 
$15  per  day.  Just  now  the  wrath  of  the  public  is  directed 
against  coal  miners  and  operators.  It  seems  rather 
strange  that  we  should  find  fault  with  a  few  workers 
and  employers  for  doing  the  very  thing  which  is  most 
characteristic  of  modern  business  and  industry. 

The  man  who  purchases  a  corner  lot  for  $5,000  and 
two  years  later  sells  it  for  $12,000  is  credited  with  good 
judgment.  The  broker  who  buys  at  89  and  sells  for 
148  is  congratulated  by  his  friends.  The  name  of  the 
"home-run  king",  whose  salary  runs  into  five  figures, 
is  a  household  word  throughout  the  land.  The  prize 
fighter  who  receives  $350,000  for  a  few  well  directed 
blows  is  acclaimed  as  a  national  hero.  The  movie  star 
who  draws  a  salary  of  a  million  dollars  a  year  is  the  idol 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  9 

of  the  fans.  The  farmer  whose  potato  patch  is  transformed 
into  an  oil  well  and  whose  old  buggy  is  exchanged  for 
a  Rolls  Royce,  becomes  an  object  of  admiration  and 
envy  on  the  part  of  his  neighbors.  And  so  it  goes  through 
modern  life.  The  possessive  instincts,  the  desire  to 
own  and  to  display  are  dominant. 

Is  the  desire  for  more  possessions  unchristian?  This 
question  cannot  be  answered  until  we  discover  the 
consequences  of  having  more  possessions:  upon  ourselves 
and  upon  others.  Possessions  are  the  basis  of  culture. 
They  furnish  security  and  leisure.  Want  and  the  fear 
of  want  are  deadly  foes  of  the  good  life.  The  higher 
values  are  endangered  when  one  is  compelled  to  spend 
all  of  his  time  and  energy  in  the  struggle  for  mere  exist- 
ence. Family  life,  especially,  is  menaced  by  poverty. 
Certainly  we  would  not  say  that  the  struggle  of  a  man 
for  possessions  enough  to  enable  him  to  support  his  family 
in  modest  comfort  and  security  is  unchristian.  The 
unchristian  thing  in  this  connection  is  the  set  of  circum- 
stances which  make  this  comfort  and  security  impossible 
for  many  families. 

What  shall  we  say  concerning  the  desire  for  more 
than  the  minimum  comforts  of  life?  Is  such  a  desire 
unchristian?  What  are  the  effects  of  an  annual  income 
of  $5,000  upon  a  family?  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt 
that  most  families  could  use  an  income  of  this  amount 
to  good  advantage  and  would  be  enabled  to  live  more 
abundantly  as  a  result.  The  question,  however,  cannot 
be  settled  on  this  basis  alone.  We  must  also  consider 
whether  or  not  this  sum  is  more  than  our  share  of  the 
national  income. 

What  shall  we  say  concerning  the  larger  incomes? 
Is  the  desire  for  great  wealth  unchristian?  What  are 
the  consequences?  For  some  persons  great  wealth  means 
the  opportunity  for  higher  culture,  for  others  it  means  a 
chance  for  riotous  living.  Great  possessions  bring  larger 
opportunities  and*  more  dangers.  At  this  point  it  will 
be  recalled  that  Jesus  warned  his  hearers  of  the  perils 
of  great  riches  and  spoke  of  the  difficulty  with  which  a 
rich  man  can  enter  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

Are  great  fortunes  a  good  thing  for  society?    Do  they 


10  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

promote  the  public  welfare?  There  is  no  doubt  that 
large  gifts  to  worthy  causes,  made  possible  by  great 
fortunes,  have  done  an  immense  amount  of  good.  In 
almost  every  community  there  are  evidences  of  these 
generous  gifts.  In  the  realms  of  public  health,  education, 
art  and  religion,  the  philanthropy  of  the  rich  has  been 
an  important  factor. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  must  take  into  account  the 
menace  of  excessive  concentration  of  wealth  and  power. 
While  great  fortunes  make  possible  generous  gifts,  they 
also  make  possible  a  high  degree  of  control  in  education, 
civic  affairs  and  political  life,  and  of  public  opinion. 
Great  fortunes  in  the  hands  of  selfish  people  do  an  immense 
amount  of  damage  to  the  public  welfare. 

THE   SOCIAL   EFFECTS   OF   LUXURY 

The  point  upon  which  we  need  to  do  the  clearest 
thinking,  however,  is  with  regard  to  the  social  effects  of 
luxuries.  Does  the  production  and  consumption  of 
luxuries  promote  the  common  good?  There  is  a  wide- 
spread belief  that  the  production  of  luxuries  "makes 
work"  and  "puts  money  in  circulation,"  and  is,  therefore, 
a  good  thing  for  everybody.  Is  this  idea  supported  by 
the  facts  in  the  case? 

Let  us  consider  an  extreme  instance,  that  of  a  wealthy 
man  who  decides  to  build  a  two-million-dollar  mansion. 
He  selects  one  of  the  most  desirable  plots  in  the  city, 
fronting  on  the  park.  Plans  are  drawn  up  calling  for 
fifty  rooms,  some  of  which  are  as  large  as  four  or  five 
ordinary  apartments;  elaborate  decorations;  furnishings 
gathered  from  the  corners  of  the  earth;  an  immense 
pipe  organ;  swimming  pool  and  a  score  of  bath  rooms, 
sunken  gardens  and  a  large  hot-house;  and  a  library  of 
several  thousand  volumes.  Hundreds  of  workers  are 
employed  for  a  year.  After  completion  the  building  is 
used  by  one  family,  with  occasional  guests,  for  less  than 
half  the  year.  The  public  is  rigorously  excluded.  Scores  of 
servants  are  employed  and  the  upkeep  of  the  place  costs 
upward  of  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  a  year. 

Has  the  expenditure  of  two  million  dollars  upon  this 
mansion  been  a  good  thing  or  a  bad  thing  for  society? 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  11 

It  has  "made  work'7  for  hundreds  of  persons.  It  has 
put  an  immense  amount  of  money  in  circulation.  From 
the  standpoint  of  society,  however,  it  has  done  three 
other  things:  It  has  wasted  human  labor,  it  has  wasted 
materials,  it  has  wasted  capital.  The  same  workers, 
the  same  materials  and  the  same  capital  might  have  been 
used  in  the  erection  of  several  hundred  badly  needed 
apartments.  As  many  workers  could  have  been  employed 
and  as  much  money  put  in  circulation,  and  in  the  end 
several  hundred  times  as  many  people  would  have  been 
housed. 

This  is  an  extreme  illustration  and  the  number  of 
cases  of  this  sort  is  limited.  But  it  does  bring  out  the 
social  consequences  of  the  production  of  luxuries.  The 
fact  which  should  be  stamped  indelibly  upon  our  minds f 
is  this:  Luxuries  divert  labor,  materials  and  capital 
into  channels  which  are  of  little  social  value,  and  therefore, 
raise  the  price  of  the  necessities  of  life,  thus  increasing  the 
struggle  of  the  poor.  Upon  this  point  economists  are 
generally  agreed. 

In  the  light  of  this  indisputable  fact,  the  question 
should  be  raised:  Is  a  Christian  justified  in  living  in 
luxury,  at  the  expense  of  an  intensified  struggle  on  the 
part  of  the  poor  for  the  bare  necessities  of  life?  Is  a 
Christian  justified  in  even  spending  the  amount  necessary 
for  his  own  fullest  cultural  development,  at  the  expense 
of  the  less  fortunate?  What  are  the  effects  upon  brother- 
hood of  living  in  luxury  while  many  are  in  want? 

Still  another  factor  needs  to  be  considered,  viz.,  the 
appalling  human  need  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  The 
obligation  which  rests  upon  a  follower  of  Jesus  knows 
no  boundaries  of  race  or  nation.  The  true  Christian  in 
America  cannot  be  unmindful  of  the  tragic  need  in  the 
Orient,  the  Near  East,  or  Europe.  The  expenditure  of 
even  a  few  dollars  in  the  needier  places  of  the  earth  means 
the  saving  of  human  lives,  each  of  which  is  of  inestimable 
worth  in  the  sight  of  God.  Are  any  of  us  justified  in 
living  in  luxury  in  a  hungry  world? 

At  what  point  does  the  desire  for  personal  possessions 
become  unchristian?  This  question  demands  clear  think- 
ing, resolute  decision  and  courageous  action. 


12  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

(2)     THE   DESIRE   FOR  SUCCESS   OR 
PERSONAL   POWER 

A  second  major  incentive  in  modern  life  is  the  desire  to 
succeed,  to  achieve  a  given  end.  This  motive  operates 
powerfully  with  many  persons  who  have  no  desire  for 
great  possessions.  Moreover  it  is  often  the  basis  of  the 
desire  for  great  possessions,  since  possessions  have  now 
become  a  badge  of  success. 

Mr.  Charles  M.  Schwab,  President  of  the  Bethlehem 
Steel  Corporation,  once  said:  "When  the  achievements 
of  my  life  have  been  completed  and  my  obituary  is  being 
written,  if  I  can  leave  as  a  monument  a  long  line  of  smoke 
stacks  and  boiler  works  and  rolling  mills  and  establish- 
ments, I  shall  be  prouder  than  of  the  grandest  monument 
men  might  erect  in  my  memory.  The  men  in  business 
in  the  United  States  are  not  working  for  money  alone. 
The  chief  pride  of  American  character  is  successful 
accomplishment.  It  may  be  measured  by  the  dollars 
that  go  into  his  coffers,  but  the  real  throb  and  thrill  of 
pleasure  that  comes  to  his  mind  is  one  of  successful 
accomplishment. ' ' 

The  attitude  of  many  business  and  professional  men 
has  been  described  by  a  prominent  sociologist  in  these 
words:  " American  men  make  money  as  American  boys 
play  marbles  in  spring,  baseball  in  summer,  and  football 
in  autumn.  The  rich  man  toiling  for  more,  often  is 
simply  trying  to  run  up  a  high  score  at  the  national 
game." 

The  desire  for  personal  power  is  closely  bound  up  with 
the  desire  to  succeed.  Many  men  are  thrilled  at  their 
ability  to  manipulate  things,  while  some  find  their 
greatest  joy  in  directing  other  people.  The  desire  for 
the  success  which  brings  recognition  and  personal  power 
is  an  important  factor  in  modern  life. 

Is  the  desire  for  success  and  personal  power  unchristian? 
It  depends  upon  the  kind  of  success  desired  and  the  use 
to  which  power  is  put.  None  of  us  would  say  that  it  is 
unchristian  to  desire  personal  power  as  a  means  of  helping 
other  people.  Unfortunately,  power  is  more  often  desired 
for  selfish  reasons.  Many  persons  desire  power  as  a 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  13 

means   of   satisfying   selfish   ambitions   or   of   gratifying 
personal  pride. 

The  wife  of  Zebedee  once  asked  Jesus  to  grant  to  her 
sons  the  privilege  of  occupying  the  chief  places  of  honor 
in  his  kingdom.  In  reply  Jesus  said  to  his  desciples: 
"Ye  know  that  the  rulers  of  the  Gentiles  lord  it  over 
them,  and  their  great  ones  exercise  authority  over  them. 
Not  so  shall  it  be  among  you :  but  whosoever  would  be 
first  among  you  shall  be  your  servant,  even  as  the  Son 
of  Man  came  not"  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister 
and  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many." 

(3)    THE   DESIRE   TO   SERVE 

A  third  major  incentive  in  modern  life  is  the  desire  to 
serve,  to  be  of  use  in  the  world.  This  should  not  be 
confused  with  a  popular  meaning  of  "service"  in  business 
today.  The  word  is  often  used  as  meaning  courtesy, 
thoughtfulness,  fair  dealing  and  efficiency — for  the  sake 
of  higher  profits.  Many  persons  believe  in  "service" 
because  it  pays. 

There  are,  however,  many  persons  in  modern  life 
whose  chief  stimulus  is  the  genuine  desire  to  help  other 
folks  and  to  have  a  share  in  building  a  better-  world. 
These  persons  are  found  in  all  walks  of  life — as  merchants, 
teachers,  lawyers,  artists,  preachers,  scientists,  surgeons, 
carpenters,  bankers,  farmers,  and  miners. 

(4)     SUMMARY 

The  evidence  seems  to  indicate  that  the  group  whose 
chief  motive  is  that  of  unselfish  service  is  greatly  out- 
numbered by  those  who  are  spurred  to  action  by  the 
desire  for  possessions  or  personal  power.  It  seems 
unquestionable  that  of  the  total  number  of  business  and 
professional  men  in  the  United  States,  a  large  majority 
are  motivated  chiefly  by  the  desire  for  possessions  or 
for  the  power  which  accompanies  success.  Self-interest, 
enlightened  or  unenlightened,  is  still  dominant  in  the 
lives  of  most  people. 

A  well  known  writer  has  described  what  he  believed 
to  be  the  prevailing  spirit  of  the  times  in  these  words: 


14  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

"Look  where  you  will,  it  is  the  spirit  of  I  Myself  which  is 
paramount.  Life  exists  for  Me:  all  the  dim  aeons 
behind  have  toiled  to  produce  Me:  This  brief  moment 
in  the  eternal  duration  of  time  is  only  an  opportunity 
for  My  pleasure  and  My  ease.  I  care  not  a  jot  for  the 
ages  ahead  and  the  sons  of  men  who  shall  inhabit  the 
earth  when  I  am  dust  beneath  their  feet.  Give  Me  My 
Rights.  Stand  clear  of  My  way.  I  want  and  I  will  have." 


Ill:  ARE  THE  MOTIVES  OF  JESUS 
PRACTICABLE  IN  MODERN 
BUSINESS  AND  PROFESSION- 
AL LIFE? 

(1)     THE   MOTIVES   OF   JESUS 

The  dominant  motive  of  Jesus  was  service.  "For  the 
Son  of  Man  himself  has  not  come  to  be  served  but  to 
serve."  "For  the  Son  of  Man  has  come  to  seek  and  save 
the  lost."  "I  have  come  that  they  may  have  life  and 
have  it  the  full."  "And  for  their  sake  I  consecrate  myself 
that  they  may  be  consecrated  by  the  truth."  Love  was 
the  supreme  characteristic  of  his  life.  He  went  about 
doing  good,  healing  the  sick,  feeding  the  hungry,  strength- 
ening the  tempted,  lifting  up  the  fallen,  comforting  the 
broken  hearted,  calling  men  into  companionship  with 
the  Father.  His  manner  of  life  and  his  message  were  so 
unacceptable  to  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  of  his  day 
that  in  the  end  he  was  hanged  upon  a  cross.  And  yet, 
in  the  anguish  of  those  last  moments,  he  cried  out, 
"Father,  forgive  them,  they  do  not  know  what  they  are 
doing." 

Is  Jesus'  way  of  life  practicable  for  men  in  this  gene- 
ration? Are  men  so  constituted  that  it  is  hopeless  to 
expect  them  to  be  dominated  by  his  motives? 

(2)     HUMAN   INSTINCTS 

There  is  general  agreement  among  psychologists  today 
that  the  actions  of  human  beings  are  motivated  primarily 
by  instincts,  innate  tendencies  or  psychical  dispositions. 
"The  behavior  of  man  in  the  family,"  says  Professor 
Thorndike,  "in  business,  in  the  state,  in  religion,  and 
in  every  other  affair  of  life,  is  rooted  in  his  unlearned 
original  equipment  of  instincts  and  capacities."  Are 

15 


16  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

these  instincts  or  tendencies  of  such  a  nature  as  to  make 
the  motives  of  Jesus  impracticable  for  most  men? 

Among  the  strongest  instincts  of  man  are  those  of  sex, 
acquisition,  anger,  pugnacity  and  mastery.  These 
instincts  are  often  expressed  in  a  manner  which  is  anti- 
social, but  it  by  no  means  follows  that  they  are  inherently 
anti-social.  They  are  frequently  expressed  in  ways 
which  are  of  great  social  value.  Moreover,  there  are 
other  human  instincts  which  most  readily  express  them- 
selves through  social  channels.  Psychologists  are  generally 
agreed  that  the  following  tendencies  are  innate  in  human 
nature : 

(1)  The  instinct  of  creation  or  workmanship.     It  is 
natural  for  men  to  make  things.    This  is  as  truly  a  part 
of  the  nature  of  man  as  the  desire  for  possessions.    William 
James  has   said:    "Constructiveness  is  a   genuine   and 
irresistible  instinct  in  man  as  in  the  bee  or  beaver."    If 
this  tendency  is  not  manifest  in  men  today  it  is  because 
of  the  artificial  and  adverse  conditions  under  which  they 
live. 

(2)  The  gregarious  instinct  and  sensitiveness  to  approval 
and  disapproval.     It  is  natural  for  men  to  desire  to  be 
together.     This  is  one  of  the  reasons  for  the  growth  of 
cities  and  the  decline  of  rural  communities.     Not  only 
do  men  like  to  be  together,  they  are  very  sensitive  to 
the  opinion  of  the  rest  of  the  group.     Ostracism  is  one 
of  the  severest  penalties  which  can  come  to  any  man. 
Man  cannot  be  happy  by  himself.    A  prominent  sociologist 
has  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  social  motive  is  "the 
strongest  that  sways  us,  even  stronger  in  normal  life 
than  hunger  or  sex." 

(3)  The  instinct  of  self-respect.    It  is  natural  for  men 
to  evaluate  their  own  conduct  and  to  desire  to  reach  a 
standard  which  they  have  erected.    Men  delight  in  their 
own   skill,   strength,   or  righteousness.     The  desire  for 
self -approval  operates  powerfully  in  all  normal  persons. 

(4)  The    instinct    of   parental    love    and   self-sacrifice. 
The  love  of  parents  for  their  children  and  the  willingness 
to  sacrifice  for  them  is  universal.     Closely  related  is  the 
tendency  to  be  kind  and  considerate  of  others.    Mutual 
aid  is  natural  to  human  beings,  as  it  is  to  the  higher 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  17 

animals.  The  subordination  of  selfish  desires  to  the 
higher  good  of  the  group  is  characteristic  of  individuals 
in  ascending  civilization.  "The  power  of  sacrifice  and 
renunciation,"  says  Benjamin  Kidd,  "is  the  first  and 
last  word  in  the  kind  of  efficiency  which  is  deepening  in 
the  social  era  of  the  race.  The  progress  of  humanity, 
has,  therefore,  over  and  above  every  other  feature  this 
meaning.  It  is  the  epic  of  the  vast,  tragic,  ennobling, 
immortalizing,  all-conquering  ethic  of  Renunciation. " 

(3)     JESUS'  WAY  OF  LIFE  AND   HUMAN  NATURE 

The  reason  for  examining  human  instincts  at  this  point 
is  that  such  a  study  shows  that  human  nature  is  not 
inevitably  antagonistic  to  Jesus'  way  of  life.  The  motives 
which  prompted  him  to  action  are  deeply  ingrained  in 
human  nature  and  are  altogether  natural  to  normal 
persons. 

The  best  proof  of  this  statement  is  found  in  the  fact 
that  throughout  the  centuries  many  persons  have  applied 
his  motives  in  all  relationships  of  life.  This  has  been 
true  not  only  of  Christian  missionaries  and  ministers, 
but  also  of  persons  in  many  other  vocations.  There 
have  been  conspicuous  illustrations  of  men  of  science 
who  were  motivated  by  a  passion  for  truth  and  the  desire 
to  be  of  service  to  mankind,  even  though  this  devotion 
cost  them  their  lives.  The  glorious  record  of  these  men 
is  a  repudiation  of  the  idea  that  the  possessive  instincts 
are  always  dominant. 

It  seems  strange  that  there  should  be  any  lingering 
doubts  as  to  the  power  of  self-sacrifice  latent  in  all  normal 
human  beings,  after  the  world-wide  demonstration  during 
the  Great  War.  One  does  not  need  to  be  a  believer  in 
the  righteousness  or  efficacy  of  war  as  a  method,  to  recog- 
nize the  fact  that  during  the  war  there  was  a  vast  sacri- 
ficial outpouring  of  treasure  and  blood.  In  all  of  the 
belligerent  nations  the  instincts  of  possession  were 
subordinated  to  the  instincts  of  service  and  self -giving. 
A  stupendous  volume  of  self-sacrifice  was  released  and 
millions  of  men — Americans,  Germans,  Englishmen, 
Frenchmen,  Austrians  and  Italians — gladly  laid  down 
their  lives  in  what  they  believed  to  be  a  holy  cause. 


18  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

The  experiences  of  war-time  should  convince  us  beyond 
doubt  that  self-sacrifice  is  just  as  natural  as  any  other  of 
man's  instincts  and  under  appropriate  circumstances  is 
absolutely  supreme  in  the  average  person.  The  desire  for 
possessions,  craving  for  mastery,  love  of  family,  are 
ultimately  less  powerful  than  sacrificial  devotion  to  a 
great  cause. 

At  bottom  there  is  no  essential  difference  in  the  make-up 
of  missionaries,  scientists,  soldiers  and  the  common 
people  in  all  walks  of  life.  All  are  members  of  one  species, 
children  of  one  Father.  All  have  the  same  instincts 
and  innate  tendencies.  Love  is  just  as  natural  as  hate, 
mutual  aid  as  antagonism,  self-sacrifice  as  self-assertion. 
None  of  the  motives  of  Jesus  are  unnatural  for  the 
normal  person. 

In  this  connection,  Professor  John  Dewey  says:  "If 
there  are  difficulties  in  the  way  of  social  alteration — as 
there  certainly  are — they  do  not  lie  in  an  original  aversion 
of  human  nature  to  serviceable  action,"  but  rather  in 
the  conditions  under  which  men  live.  Professor  Irving 
Fisher  names  seven  major  instincts,  as  follows:  self- 
preservation, .  self-expression,  self-respect,  loyalty,  home- 
making,  play,  worship.  He  then  says:  "Of  the  seven 
mentioned,  only  the  instinct  of  self-preservation  is  even 
fairly  well  satisfied  by  the  majority  of  workers.  We 
thrum  too  continuously  on  the  one  string.  Human 
nature  is  a  harp  of  many  strings.  We  must  use  the  rest 
of  the  octave." 

The  task  before  us,  then,  is  not  the  changing  of  human 
nature,  but  the  creation  of  situations  in  which  new 
sets  of  human  instincts  may  more  easily  find  expression. 
To  this  end,  public  opinion  needs  to  be  changed  with 
regard  to  several  vital  points.  Since  individual  action  is 
profoundly  affected  by  social  approval  and  disapproval, 
this  is  a  natural  place  to  begin.  It  would  seem  that  the 
public  attitude  needs  to  be  changed  with  regard  to  three 
fundamental  points  in  modern  industry. 

(4)    CHANGES  IN  THE  PUBLIC  ATTITUDE  NEEDED 

First,  with  regard  to  the  relative  merits  of  possession 

and  creation.    In  the  United  States  it  seems  unquestion- 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  19 

able  that  possession  or  ownership  has  generally  been 
regarded  much  more  highly  than  the  element  of  creation 
or  construction.  The  man  who  has  things  is  usually 
more  highly  honored  than  the  man  who  does  things. 
Of  course,  there  are  exceptions  to  the  rule,  but  in  the 
average  community  the  man  with  the  greatest  possessions 
is  usually  regarded  as  "the  biggest  man  in  town."  The 
millionaire  is*  usually  more  admired  and  envied  than  the 
teacher  or  preacher,  although  the  degree  of  his  service 
for  his  fellows  may  be  negligible  as  compared  with  that 
of  many  other  citizens.  Therefore,  the  ideal  held  most 
vividly  before  the  average  young  person  is  the  desire 
to  become  rich. 

This  is  not  a  high  ideal  and  its  pursuit  is  responsible 
for  much  of  the  strife  and  misery  in  the  world  today. 
The  ideal  which  should  constantly  be  held  before  the 
youth  of  the  land  is  that  of  service,  creation,  construction, 
for  the  common  good.  Chief  honors  should  go  to  those 
who  are  most  successful  in  this  realm  and  only  the  lesser 
honors  to  those  who  succeed  in  accumulating  goods  for 
their  own  selfish  enjoyment.  Upon  the  relative  merits 
of  creating  and  owning,  public  opinion  should  speak  in 
clarion  tones. 

Second,  there  is  need  for  a  change  in  public  opinion 
with  regard  to  the  purpose  of  engaging  in  business  or 
industry.  It  is  now  too  often  assumed  that  young  people 
should  enter  business  or  industry  primarily  as  a  means 
of  making  money.  This  is  a  low  conception  of  business 
and  places  it  on  a  different  level  than  the  ministry  or 
certain  other  professions.  No  one  would  suggest  that  a 
young  man  should  enter  the  ministry  or  the  teaching 
profession  primarily  because  it  offers  an  opportunity  to 
make  money. 

We  need  a  new  attitude  toward  industry.  The  chief 
purpose  of  industry  is  not  to  help  men  get  rich;  its  chief 
purpose  is  to  produce  goods  and  services  which  are  needed 
by  the  community.  The  idea  that  men  should  engage 
in  business  or  industry  primarily  to  make  money  is 
responsible  for  much  of  the  present  disorder  and  in- 
efficiency. 

Third,  we  need  a  new  attitude  toward   competition 


20  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

and  co-operation.  Throughout  American  history,  compe- 
tition has  been  glorified  and  regarded  as  the  basis  of 
our'  national  prosperity.  There  is  much  to  be  said  for 
this  point  of  view.  Competition  has  tended  to  develop 
self-reliance  and  independence  of  spirit  and  has  contrib- 
uted to  social  progress.  It  is  probable,  however,  that 
the  extent  of  this  contribution  has  been  highly  exaggerated 
in  the  popular  mind. 

It  seems  time  to  challenge  the  sanctity  of  competition 
and  to  point  out  its  real  nature.  A  distinction  should  be 
made  between  modern  competition  in  business  and 
rivalry  in  games  or  artistic  pursuits.  The  value  of  such 
rivalry  is  generally  recognized.  Commercial  competition 
as  a  rule  is  not  friendly  rivalry  and  good  sportsmanship. 
The  primary  purpose  of  commercial  competition  is  to 
gain  personal  power  or  a  larger  share  of  the  common 
store  of  goods  and  services.  Its  result  usually  is  strife 
and  bitterness  and  it  is  the  basis  of  the  intense  struggle 
now  being  waged  in  industry,  where  employer  is  arrayed 
against  employer,  workman  against  workman,  employers 
against  workmen,  and  consumers  against  both  employers 
and  workmen. 

It  should  be  recognized  that  conditions  in  the  United 
States  have  changed  during  the  past  three  decades  and 
that  competition  is  less  and  less  efficient.  So  long  as 
land  was  cheap  and  plentiful  and  so  long  as  industry  was 
conducted  in  small  units,  competition  was  more  effective 
and  less  destructive  of  human  relations.  Now  that  our 
population  has  greatly  increased  and  that  immense 
tracts  of  land  are  being  monopolized  by  a  few  holders, 
with  the  consequence  that  land  is  increasingly  expensive 
and  difficult  to  secure  by  the  average  man,  and  since 
industry  is  increasingly  being  concentrated  in  great  units, 
with  fewer  men  owning  their  own  tools,  the  results  of 
competition  are  more  and  more  disastrous. 

Harmony  and  efficiency  in  industry  depend  upon 
co-operation.  The  need  of  the  hour  is  for  public  opinion 
which  will  strongly  disapprove  selfish  competition  and 
approve  co-operation  for  the  common  good.  The  times 
demand  a  multitude  of  intensive  experiments  in  co- 
operation in  all  phases  of  industry.  Public  opinion  should 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  21 

bestow  ife  blessings  upon  all  genuine  efforts  to  substitute 
the  principle  of  co-operation  for  that  of  competition. 
Experiments  in  co-operative  distribution,  co-operative 
marketing,  co-operative  production  and  co-operative 
banking  should  be  encouraged. 

(5)     THE   OUTCOME   OF   CONTINUED   STRIFE 

The  people  of  this  generation  will  do  well  to  pause 
and  consider  the  probable  outcome  of  the  present  strife 
if  unchecked.  It  should  be  remembered  that  the  peoples 
of  the  earth  are  being  drawn  into  closer  and  closer  con- 
tacts. Trade  knows  no  boundaries  and  international 
competition  is  growing  keener.  The  points  of  friction  are 
multiply  ing.  and  the  danger  zones  are  widening. 

Within  the  different  nations  the  situation  is  critical. 
The  lines  between  employers  and  workers  are  being 
drawn  more  sharply.  Bitterness  in  industrial  relations 
is  increasing.  The  belligerent  parties  in  the  struggle  are 
growing  in  power.  There  is  an  increasing  concentration 
of  wealth  and  control  and  employers'  associations  are 
growing  in  power.  Organized  labor  is  also  gaining 
strength.  Industrial  struggles  are  more  and  more  dis- 
astrous to  public  welfare.  Continued  emphasis  upon 
self-interest  and  competition  can  have  no  other  end  than 
intensified  warfare  in  industry.  A  recent  writer  has 
said:  "We  must  discover  new  motives  or  life  will  become 
sordid  and  desolate,  and  society  a  trough,  a  sty,  and  a 
slaughter  pen."  Unless  new  motives  are  made  dominant, 
it  is  altogether  probable  that  the  nations  will  be  plunged 
into  further  wars.  And  further  wars  on  a  wide  scale 
will  undoubtedly  threaten  the  very  existence  of  modern 
civilization.  We  should  not  allow  ourselves  to  forget 
that  several  civilizations  have  perished  from  the  earth 
in  the  course  of  human  history. 

The^  churches  should  realize  the  extent  of  their  stake 
in  the  "industrial  struggle.  The  more  intense  this  struggle 
becomes,  the  less  influence  they  will  have  in  any  sphere 
of  life.  The  churches  in  the  United  States  should  take 
warning  from  what  is  happening  in  England  and  on  the 
Continent.  There  seems  to  be  no  doubt  that  the  breach 
between  the  churches  and  the  great*  masses  of  working 


±2  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

people  is  widening.  In  many  European  countries  the 
churches  are  held  in  contempt  by  most  workers,  and  have 
little  influence  in  the  community.  The  industrial  struggle 
is  not  solely  responsible  for  this  condition,  but  it  is  a 
major  factor. 

Strife  and  warfare  hi  industry  undermine  the  very 
foundations  upon  which  the  churches  rest.  It  is  mockery 
to  speak  of  brotherhood  being  a  reality  when  men  in 
industry  are  tearing  at  each  other's  vitals.  The  sooner 
the  churches  realize  that  their  future  usefulness  depends 
upon  a  lessening  of  the  industrial  conflict,  and  the  sooner 
they  throw  the  full  weight  of  their  influence  against  self- 
interest  and  selfish  competition  and  in  favor  of  friendly 
co-operation  for  the  public  welfare,  the  better  it  will  be 
for  the  world. 

(6)     POWER   OF   PUBLIC   OPINION 

A  society  which  awards  its  honors  on  a  basis  of  service, 
rather  than  on  grounds  of  ownership;  in  which  industry 
is  based  on  production  for  social  use,  rather  than  for 
individual  profit;  and  in  which  the  method  is  that  of 
co-operation  for  the  common  good,  rather  than  selfish 
competition  for  private  gain;  will  be  one  in  which  the 
chief  barriers  to  harmony  and  efficiency  in  industry  have 
been  removed.  A  strong  public  expression  on  these 
three  points  would  make  possible  an  immense  stride 
forward. 

The  power  of  public  approval  or  disapproval  is  very 
great.  If  selfish  competition  for  the  sake  of  accumulating 
goods  for  personal  enjoyment  should  be  placed  under 
the  ban  of  public  disapproval,  and  unselfish  co-operation 
for  the  common  good  should  receive  the  unqualified 
endorsement  of  public  opinion,  an  atmosphere  would 
be  created  in  which  the  anti-social  instincts  would  be 
sub-ordinated  and  the  more  social  tendencies  released. 
It  has  been  said  by  Professor  E.  C.  Hayes  that  " society 
has  incalculable  power  to  suppress  what  it  sufficiently 
condemns  and  to  promote  what  it  sufficiently  appreciates. 
.  .  .  Society  can  create  a  situation  in  which  wicked- 
ness will  in  general  be  imbecility. " 

In    this    connection,    Benjamin    Kidd    said:     "Every 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  23 


institution  in  civilization  is  in  fore-grips  with  a  new  kind 
of  knowledge,  the  control  of  which  will  become  a  matter 
of  life  and  death  to  it.  It  is  clearly  in  evidence  that  the 
science  of  creating  and  transmitting  public  opinion  under 
the  influence  of  collective  emotion  is  about  to  become 
the  principal  science  of  civilization,  to  the  mastery  of 
which  all  governments  and  all  powerful  interests  will 
in  the  future  address  themselves  with  every  resource  at 
their  command." 

Religious  people  have  a  duty  and  an  opportunity  at 
this  point.  In  the  light  of  the  teaching  and  example  of 
Jesus  it  would  seem  that  the  churches  should  have  a 
clear  message  with  regard  to  the  three  points  under 
consideration.  Jesus  uttered  a  warning  against  the 
desire  for  great  possessions  in  these  words:  "Take  heed, 
and  keep  yourselves  from  all  covet ousness;  for  a  man's 
life  consisteth  not  in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  he 
possesseth."  He  warned  his  hearers  against  fruitless 
worry  over  food  and  raiment.  In  a  parable  he  pictured 
the  doom  of  a  rich  man  who  was  intent  only  upon  his 
own  comfort  and  pleasure.  The  verdict  of  Jesus  is 
emphatic  that  the  possession  of  goods  is  of  no  importance 
as  compared  with  creation,  construction  or  sendee  for 
the  common  good. 

As  to  the  relative  merits  of  selfish  competition  and 
co-operation  for  the  common  good,  it  would  seem  that 
the  teaching  of  Jesus  is  clear.  Is  selfish  competition  hi 
accord  with  his  teaching  concerning  the  supremacy  of 
love,  goodwill  and  brotherhood?  Is  not  co-operation 
the  channel  through  which  these  attitudes  most  easily 
find  expression? 

In  the  light  of  this  clear  teaching,  it  would  seem  that 
the  churches  should  be  proclaiming  with  vigor  the  mes- 
sage that  the  purpose  of  industry  is  to  produce  goods 
which  are  needed,  rather  than'  to  make  possible  the 
accumulation  of  private  wealth,  and  that  the  method 
should  be  that  of  friendly  co-operation  rather  than 
selfish  competition. 

Is  it  not  high  tune  that  the  title  "Christian"  be  with- 
drawn from  those  persons  who  are  motivated  primarily 
by  the  selfish  desire  for  great  possessions  or  personal 


24  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

power  and  whose  ruthless  competition  and  disregard  of 
the  welfare  of  competitors  and  the  public  is  an  utter 
denial  of  brotherhood — no  matter  how  large  their  benevo- 
lent gifts  and  public  benefactions  may  be?  Should  not 
the  approval  of  the  churches  be  reserved  for  those  persons 
who,  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus,  are  unselfishly  co-operating 
with  their  fellows  in  serving  the  common  good?  Is  not 
this  the  least  that  should  be  expected  of  the  churches? 
Strife  and  warfare  are  inevitable  in  a  world  which  enthrones 
selfish  competition.  It  is  futile  to  expect  peace  and 
harmony  in  industry  so  long  as  selfish  competition 
receives  the  blessing  of  public  opinion. 

(7)     THE  RESOURCES   OF  RELIGIOUS   PEOPLE 

Religious  people  in  the  United  States  have  the  power 
to  change  the  public  attitude  toward  the  three  funda- 
mental points  under  consideration.  They  have  enormous 
resources  at  their  disposal.  There  are  over  forty  million 
communicants  of  the  various  churches.  'These  persons 
acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Jesus'  way  of  life  and 
are  at  least  nominally  committed  to  his  leadership. 
Many  of  them  are  troubled  over  the  strife  and  misery 
of  this  day  and  are  increasingly  sensitive  to  the  evils  of 
modern  industry.  For  the  most  part  their  intentions 
are  good.  They  will  to  do  the  right  thing.  There  are 
more  than  one  hundred  thousand  ministers  in  charge 
of  congregations.  There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
teachers  in  Sunday  Schools  and  millions  of  pupils.  The 
weekly  circulation  of  the  religious  press  runs  into  the 
millions..  The  latent  power  of  the  religious  forces  in 
America  to  influence  public  opinion  is  incalculable. 

Among  the  resources  of  Christian  people  is  a  strong 
belief  in  the  presence  and  co-operation  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  a  living 
God,  who  has  been  seeking  through  the  ages  to  win  men 
to  his  way  of  life  and  to  establish  His  Kingdom  upon 
earth.  The  realization  of  His  presence  and  help  in  the 
task  of  making  modern  life  conform  to  His  will  is  an 
enormous-  inspiration  to  Christians  and  greatly  increases 
their  enthusiasm,  courage  and  faith.  One  of  the  tragedies 
of  these  days  is  the  fact  that  so  many  Christians  are 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  25 

seemingly  unaware  of  the  presence  of  God  and  make  so 
little  effort  to  co-operate  .with  Him  in  building  a  better 
world. 

The  historian  Lecky,  in  speaking  of  the  influence  of 
John  Wesley  and  his  followers,  said:  "England  escaped 
the  horrors  of  the  French  Revolution  largely  through  the 
vehement  religious  enthusiasm  which  was  at  that  very 
time  passing  through  the  middle  and  lower  classes  of 
people."  It  is  possible  that  history  may  repeat  itself 
in  America  during  the  next  few  decades  and  that  in 
this  land  an  awakening  in  the  churches  may  prevent 
the  worst  excesses  of  the  class-war  which  is  even  now 
sweeping  over  parts  of  Europe. 

(8)     SUMMARY 

Let  us  again  raise  the  question:  Are  the  motives  of 
Jesus  practicable  in  modern  business  and  professional 
life?  It  has  been  pointed  out  that'  psychologists  are 
agreed  that  the  instincts  of  creation,  sensitiveness  to 
social  approval  and  disapproval,  self-respect,  parental 
love  and  self-sacrifice,  are  active  in  all  normal  persons. 
The  vast  release  of  latent  self-sacrifice  during  the  war 
is  sufficient  proof  of  this  fact.  The  self-denial  and  un- 
selfish service  of  Jesus  are  not  contrary  to  human  nature. - 
The  task  before  us  is  not  the  changing  of  human  nature 
but  the  creation  of  situations  in  which  the  more  'social 
tendencies  may  more  easily  be  given  expression. 

To  this  end, 'changes  are  needed  in  public  opinion  with 
regard  to  the  relative  merits  of  ownership  versus  service, 
as  to  whether  the  basis  of  industry  is  production  for 
personal  profit  or  for  social  use,  as  to  whether  selfish 
competition  is  better  than  friendly  co-operation. 

If  changes  in  the  public  attitude  on  these  three  points 
do  not  take  place,  it  seems  certain  that  we  shall  have 
continued  strife  in  industry  and  warfare  between  nations 
and  that  civilization  itself  will  be  seriously  menaced. 
The  churches  have  a  great  stake  in  the  industrial  struggle. 
They  also  have  enormous  latent  power  to  form  public 
opinion  and  to  create  situations  in  which  the  more 
social  instincts  will  find  expression. 


2G  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

The  task  before  us  is  not  an  impossible  one.  The 
motives  of  Jesus  are  natural  to  man  at  his  best  and  can 
be  applied  in  modern  business  and  professional  life. 
They  must  be  applied  if  life  is  to  be  made  tolerable  for 
mankind.  The  difficulties  in  the  way  of  their  application 
are  stupendous.  Courage  of  a  high  order  is  demanded. 
And  yet  in  other  realms  men  are  not  dismayed  by  obsta- 
cles. Behind  the  desk  of  one  of  the  great  industrial 
leaders  of  the  nation  is  a  small  electric  sign  which  he 
illuminates  at  psychological  moments.  It  reads:  CAN'T 
MUST  BE  OVERCOME. 

This  is  the  attitude  pre-eminent  for  the  Christian  with 
regard  to  the  obstacles  which  block  the  way  to  the 
application  of  the  motives  of  Jesus  in  modern  business 
and  professional  life.  Can't  must  be  overcome. 


APPENDIX 

Brief  Extracts  from 

THE  ACQUISITIVE   SOCIETY1 

By  R.  H.  Tawney 
Fellow  of  Balliol  College,  Oxford 

A  society  which  aimed  at  making  the  acquisition  of 
wealth  contingent  upon  the  discharge  of  social  obligations, 
which  sought  to  proportion  remuneration  to  service  and 
denied  it  to  those  by  whom  no  service,  was  performed, 
which  inquired  first  not  what  men  possess  but  what  they 
can  make  or  create  or  achieve,  might  be  called  a  Functional 
Society,  because  in  such  a  society  the  main  subject  of 
social  emphasis  would  be  the  performance  of  functions. 
But  such  a  society  does  not  exist,  even  as  a  remote  ideal, 
in  the  modern  world,  though  something  like  it  has  hung, 
an  unrealized  theory,  before  men's  minds  in  the  past. 
Modern  societies  aim  at  protecting  economic  rights, 
while  leaving  economic  functions,  except  in  moments  of 
abnormal  emergency,  to  fulfill  themselves.  .  .  .  28 
Such  societies  may  be  called  Acquisitive  Societies,  because 
their  whole  tendency  and  interest  and  preoccupation  is 
to  promote  the  acquisition  of  wealth.29 

If  society  is  to  be  healthy,  men  must  regard  themselves 
not  as  the  owners  of  rights,  but  as  trustees  for  the  dis- 
charge of  functions  and  the  instruments  of  a  social 
purpose.51 

The  application  to  property  and  industry  of  the 
principle  of  function  is  compatible  with  several  different 
types  of  social  organization.  .  .  .  The  essential 

1  Published  by  Harcourt,  Brace  &  Co.,  New  York,  188  pages,  $1.50.  This 
is  one  of  the  great  books  of  recent  years  and  should  be  in  the  library  of 
every  student  of  social  problems. 

27 


28  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

thing  is  that  men  should  fix  their  minds  upon  the  idea 
of  purpose,  and  give  that  idea  pre-eminence  over  all 
subsidiary  issues.84 

The  application  to  industry  of  the  principle  of  purpose 
is  simple,  however  difficult  it  may  be  to  give  effect  to  it. 
It  is  to  turn  it  into  a  Profession.  A  Profession  may  be 
defined  most  simply  as  a  trade  which  is  organized,  incom- 
pletely, no  doubt,  but  genuinely,  for  the  performance 
of  function.  It  is  not  simply  a  collection  of  individuals 
who  get  a  living  for  themselves  by  the  same  kind  of 
work.  Nor  is  it  merely  a  group  which  is  organized 
exclusively  for  the  economic  protection  of  its  members, 
though  that  is  normally  among  its  purposes.  It  is  a 
body  of  men  who  carry  on  their  work  in  accordance 
with  rules  designed  to  enforce  certain  standards  both 
for  the  better  protection  of  its  members  and  for  the 
better  service  of  the  public.  .The  standards  which  it 
maintains  may  be  high  or  low :  all  professions  have  some 
rules  which  protect  the  interest  of  the  community  and 
others  which  are  an  imposition  on  it.  Its  essence  is 
that  it  assumes  certain  responsibilities  for  the  competence 
of  its  members  or  the  quality  of  its  wares,  and  that  it 
deliberately  prohibits  certain  kinds  of  conduct  on  the 
ground  that,  though  they  may  be  profitable  to  the 
individual,  they  are  calculated  to  bring  into  disrepute 
the  organization  to  which  he  belongs.92 

The  difference  between  industry  as  it  exists  today  and 
a  profession  is,  then,  simple  and  unmistakable.  The 
essence  of  the  former  is  that  its  only  criterion  is  the 
financial  return  which  it  offers  to  its  shareholders.  The 
essence  of  the  latter,  is  that,  though  men  enter  it  for  the 
sake  of  livelihood,  the  measure  of  their  success  is  the 
service  which  they  perform,  not  the  gains  which  they 
amass.  They  may,  as  in  the  case  of  a  successful  doctor, 
grow  rich;  but  the  meaning  of  their  profession,  both 
for  themselves  and  for  the  public,  is  not  that  they  make 
money  but  that  they  make  health,  or  safety,  or  knowledge, 
or  good  government  or  good  law.  They  depend  on  it 
for  their  income,  but  they  do  not  consider  that  any 
conduct  which  increases  their  income  is  on  that  account 
good.  And  while  a  boot-manufacturer  who  retires  with 


INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  29 

half  a  million  is  counted  to  have  achieved  success,  whether 
the  boots  which  he  made  were  of  leather  or  brown  paper, 
a  civil  servant  who  did  the  same  would  be  impeached. 
So,  if  they  are  doctors,  they  recognize  that  there  are 
certain  kinds  of  conduct  which  cannot  be  practised, 
however  large  the  fee  offered  for  them,  because  they  are 
unprofessional;  if  scholars  and  teachers,  that  it  is  wrong 
to  make  money  by  deliberately  deceiving  the  public, 
as  is  done  by  makers  of  patent  medicines,  however  much 
the  public  may  clamor  to  be  deceived;  if  judges  or  public 
servants,  that  they  must  not  increase  their  incomes  by 
selling  justice  for  money;  if  soldiers,  that  the  service 
comes  first,  and  their  private  inclinations,  even  the 
reasonable  preference  of  life  to  death,  second.  Every 
country  has  its  traitors,  every  army  its  deserters,  and 
every  profession  its  blacklegs.  To  idealize  the  professional 
spirit  would  be  very  absurb;  it  has  its  sordid  side,  and, 
if  it  is  to  be  fostered  in  industry,  safeguards  will  be 
needed  to  check  its  excesses.  But  there  is  all  the 
difference  between  maintaining  a  standard  which  is 
occasionally  abandoned,  and  affirming  as  the  central 
truth  of  existence  that  there  is  no  standard  to  maintain. 
The  meaning  of  a  profession  is  that  it  makes  the  traitors 
the  exception,  not  as  they  are  in  industry,  the  rule.94 

If  industry  is  to  be  organized  as  a  profession,  two 
changes  are  requisite,  one  negative  and  one  positive. 
The  first,  is  that  it  should  cease  to  be  conducted  by  the 
agents  of  property-owners  for  the  advantage  of  property- 
owners,  and  should  be  carried  on,  instead,  for  the  service 
of  the  public.  The  second,  is  that,  subject  to  rigorous 
public  supervision,  the  responsibility  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  service  should  rest  upon  the  shoulders  of  those, 
from  organizer  and  scientist  to  laborer,  by  whom,  in 
effect,  the  work  is  conducted.96 

Such  a  change  in  the  character  of  ownership  would 
have  three  advantages.  It  would  abolish  the  government 
of  industry  by  property.  It  would  end  the  payment  of 
profits  to  functionless  shareholders  by  turning  them 
into  creditors  paid  a  fixed  rate  of  interest.  It  would  lay 
the  only  possible  foundations  for  industrial  peace  by 
making  it  possible  to  convert  industry  into  a  profession 


30  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE 

carried  on  by  all  grades  of  workers  for  the  service  of  the 
public,  not  for  the  gain  of  those  who  own  capital.106 

Either  the  principle  of  industry  is  that  of  function, 
in  which  case  slack  work  is  only  less  immoral  than  no 
work  at  all;  or  it  is  that  of  grab,  in  which  case  there  is 
no  morality  in  the  matter.  But  it  cannot  be  both. 
And  it  is  useless  either  for  property-owners  or  for  Govern- 
ments to  lament  the  mote  in  the  eye  of  the  trade  unions 
as  long  as,  by  insisting  on  the  maintenance  of  functionless 
property,  they  decline  to  remove  the  beam  in  their 
own.133 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  nineteenth  century 
industry  was  driven  by  two  forces,  hunger  and  fear,  and 
the  employer  commanded  them  both.  He  could  grant 
or  withhold  employment  as  he  pleased.  If  men  revolted 
against  his  terms  he  could  dismiss  them,  and  if  they  were 
dismissed  what  confronted  them  was  starvation  or  the 
workhouse.  Authority  was  centralized;  its  instruments 
were  passive;  the  one  thing  which  they  dreaded  was 
unemployment.  .  .  .  That  system  might  be  lauded 
as  efficient  or  denounced  as  inhuman.  But,  at  least,  as 
its  admirers  were  never  tired  of  pointing  out,  it  worked. 
And,  like  the  Prussian  State,  which  alike  in  its  virtues 
and  deficiencies  it  not  a  little  resembled,  as  long  as  it 
worked  it  survived  denunciations  of  its  methods,  as  a 
strong  man  will  throw  off  a  disease.  But  today  it  is 
ceasing  to  have  even  the  qualities  of  its  defects.  It  is 
ceasing  to  be  efficient.  It  no  longer  secures  the  ever- 
increasing  output  of  wealth  which  it  offered  in  its  golden 
prime,  and  which  enabled  it  to  silence  criticism  by  an 
imposing  spectacle  of  material  success.  Though  it  still 
works,  it  works  unevenly,  amid  constant  friction  and 
jolts  and  stoppages,  without  the  confidence  of  the  public 
and  without  full  confidence  even  in  itself,  a  tyrant  who 
must  intrigue  and  cajole  where  formerly  he  commanded, 
a  goaler  who,  if  not  yet  deprived  of  whip,  dare  only 
administer  moderate  chastisement,  and  who,  though  he 
still  protests  that  he  alone  can  keep  the  treadmill  moving 
and  get  the  corn  ground,  is  compelled  to  surrender  so 
much  of  his  authority  as  to  make  it  questionable  whether 
he  is  worth  his  keep.140 


\  INCENTIVES  IN  MODERN  LIFE  31 

V  The  burden  'of  our  civilization  is  not  merely,  as  many 
sLopose,  that  the  product  of  industry  is  ill-distributed, 
or  its  conduct  tyrannical,  or  its  operation  interrupted 
by  embittered  disagreements.  It  is  that  industry  itself 
has  Jcome  to  hold  a  position  of  exclusive  predominance 
amoi^Lg  human  interests,  which  no  single  interest,  and 
least  of  all  the  provision  of  the  material  means  of  exist- 
ence, is  fit  to  occupy.  Like  a  hypochondriac  who  is  so 
absorbed  in  the  processes  of  his  own  digestion  that  he 
goes  to  his  grave  before  he  has  begun  to  live,  industrialized 
communities  neglect  the  very  objects  for  which  it  is  worth 
while  to  acquire  riches  in  their  feverish  preoccupation 
with  the  means  by  which  riches  can  be  acquired.183 

That  obsession  by  economic   issues  is  as  local  and 

transitory  as  it  is  repulsive  and  disturbing.     To  future 

generations  it  will  appear  as  pitiable  as  the  obsession  of 

the  seventeenth  century  by  religious  quarrels  appears 

today;    indeed,  it  is  less  rational,  since  the  object  with 

which  it  is  concerned  is  less  important.     And  it  is  a 

poison    which    inflames   every   wound   and    turns   each 

trivial  scratch  into  a  malignant  ulcer.     Society  will  not 

solve  the  particular  problems  of  industry  which  afflict  it, 

until  that  poison  is  expelled,  and  it  has  learned  to  see 

industry  itself  in  the  right  perspective.     If  it  is  to  do 

that,   it  must  rearrange  its  scale  of  values.     It  must 

regard  economic  interests  as  one  element  in  life,  not  as 

the  whole  of  life.     It  must  persuade  its  members  to 

renounce  the  opportunity  of  gains  which  accrue  without 

iny  corresponding  service,  because  the  struggle  for  them 

ieeps    the    whole   community   in   a  fever.     It  must  so 

organize   industry   that   the   instrumental   character   of 

economic  activity  is  emphasized  by  its  subordination  to 

:he  social  purposes  for  which  it  is  carried  on.184 


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